Alterazione dell’espressione genetica nel tessuto adiposo

Nutrients regulate metabolic fluxes and homeostasis through transcriptional and translational
control of enzyme concentrations and allosteric modulation of enzyme activity. Dietary u-3
polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been shown to exert a variety of beneficial health effects
such as reducing adiposity and increasing insulin sensitivity in rodents. It is now clear that PUFAs
regulate fundamental adipose cell and liver functions through modulation of activity and
abundance of key transcription factors that act as nutrient sensors, including peroxisome
proliferator-activated receptors (PPARa/d/g), sterol regulatory element binding proteins (SREBP-
1/2), and liver X receptors (LXRa/b). However, in the state of obesity, where adipose tissue
shows elevated storage of triglycerides, many lipogenic genes that are essential for adipose cell
function including PPARg, SREBP-1c, CCAAT-enhancer binding protein a and stearoyl-CoA
desaturase-1 are downregulated, apparently due to desensitization of the very same crucial
nutrient sensors. This chapter will summarize recent studies of PUFA- and obesity-induced
changes in gene expression in white adipose tissue.